


of course I hate you (but..... your hair!!)

by Slice_of_Apple



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, Getting Together, M/M, Modern Era, Plot what plot? Fluff without plot, Ridiculous, Romance, Sweet, light and fluffy, sort of a hair fetish maybe? but only for Jean's hair
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-27
Updated: 2021-01-27
Packaged: 2021-03-13 12:00:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29028360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slice_of_Apple/pseuds/Slice_of_Apple
Summary: Jean comes back to college with longer hair. Eren is enchanted.
Relationships: Jean Kirstein/Eren Yeager
Comments: 24
Kudos: 174





	of course I hate you (but..... your hair!!)

**Author's Note:**

> this is my silly valentine to anime hair. 
> 
> apologies for typos, etc; i usually can't see them until it's posted and have to correct them after
> 
> \--------------

Eren whistled as he walked into the dorm kitchen. He was excited to be back at school. It had been a fun summer, but he had missed everyone. Well, not everyone. Not Kirstein, of course. Or Daz. But everyone else. And he was actually looking forward to his classes this year; he had managed to get into some pretty cool electives. 

Someone else was already there. The guy was leaning on the counter, intently reading something. It wasn’t anyone Eren recognized. Maybe one of the new freshman? Eren had been lucky enough to get a room in one of the dorm “houses” along with most of his friends, and the turnover tended to be small – usually only the exiting seniors left their spots. There should be three new housemates joining them this year, so maybe this guy was one of them.

He was tall, even while bent over his book,and looked pretty fit. But that wasn’t what had gripped Eren’s attention. It was his hair: brown and almost shoulder-length, falling forward to obscure the guy’s profile. But not just any old brown. It was a light, milk-chocolaty color, with hints of gold dancing across the top and a deep, rich mahogany underneath. Eren had never seen anything like it. The colors, lit up by the light streaming in from the window, were dazzling. The hair reminded Eren of a clearing in the woods on a sunny day, of warm toast in winter, of a rich, dark roast coffee. He had an almost uncontrollable urge to leap across the room, slip his hand right up the back of the guy’s neck, and catch as much of the hair as he could in his fingers. Then he would lift it high in the air and watch as it cascaded down. He had no doubt that it would look like the most wonderful, rippling waterfall as it fell. His fingers twitched with the desire to touch.

Eren inhaled sharply, trying to control himself. What was he thinking, wanting to feel a stranger’s _hair_? At the sound, the guy’s head snapped up.

“Oh,” he said, in an unimpressed voice. “It’s you. Welcome back.”

Eren’s mouth fell open. _Shit!_ This incredible, luscious hair belonged to _Jean Kirstein?_

His face burned as he snuffled out an unintelligible greeting.

Jean’s eyes narrowed. “You okay, Jaeger?”

“Yeah mmpphh flffn,” Eren mumbled back.

Jean gave him a strange look as he exited the room.

\---------

“Have you seen Kirstein?” Eren asked casually.

“Hmm,” Armin said, his attention on the screen in front of him.

“His hair is different.”

“Is it?” asked Armin. “Oh, yeah. I guess so. A bit longer, right? Looks nice.”

_Nice_? Eren bit his lip to stop himself from protesting against such a ridiculously inadequate description.

Armin glanced at him curiously.

“You like it, eh?”

Eren shrugged his shoulders. “It’s okay.”

But he wasn’t fooling anyone, least of all himself.

\--------------

Ah. As Eren had hoped, Jean was in the common room, studying. He usually studied there. Eren rarely did. He found the long, comfortable couch and squashy armchairs too distracting. But Jean liked to go there late at night, when he could spread his stuff out all over the low coffee table and do his work in peace. 

Eren had been trying for weeks now to get Jean alone. He had constantly been stymied, either by the unrelenting presence of their housemates or his own stumbling embarrassment. Tonight, however, he felt confident and sure, and Jean was alone.

Eren waited for a moment in the doorway. Jean was leaning over a book, his brow furrowed, concentrating. His hair was hooked behind his ears. While Eren watched, he leaned closer into the book, tracing some lines with his finger and muttering to himself. As he did so, a clump of hair fell in front of his face. Jean impatiently hooked it back behind his ear.

It was a mesmerizing sight, and it filled Eren with jealousy _. He_ wanted to be the one moving the hair back – the one smoothing it around Jean’s ear.

He cleared his throat and stepped into the room.

Jean looked up.

“What are you doing here?” he said.

“I – ” Eren gulped. _Shit!_ He couldn’t lose his nerve now!

He forced himself to keep walking, to take a seat next to Jean on the couch.

Jean looked at him impatiently.

“What?”

Eren swallowed.

“I’ve got stuff to do here, Jaeger. Spit it out.”

“Can I…”

“Can you _what_?” prompted Jean in a very annoyed tone of voice.

“Can-I-touch-your-hair?” Eren asked quickly.

“What did you say?” asked Jean, a confused expression on his face.

“Can-I-touch-your-hair?” Eren repeated, doing his best to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach.

“Did you just ask if you could touch my hair?”

“Yes.”

“No way, Jaeger! Are you out of your mind? And stop looking at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like you want to kill me, you stupid idiot. You’ve been acting strange since the start of school.”

“I don’t-“ Eren took a deep breath. “I don’t want to kill you. I just-”

This was seriously embarrassing. Eren was very glad that at least they were alone, and no one else was privy to this humiliating scene. Because no way could he stop, not when he was this close.

“You just _what_? What the hell is wrong with you?”

“I just – I want to touch your hair.”

“What? _Why_?”

“It’s – it’s really… pretty,” Eren continued gamely.

Jean’s eyebrows shot up.

“Are you kidding me? Is this a prank? Are you taping this conversation?”

“No, I’m not taping this conversation, and this isn't a prank!” Eren replied, feeling a little frustrated. Was he going to have to repeat his confession? Well, best to get it over with. “I really, really, really like your hair,” he said fervently. He hoped that would do the trick and he could stop talking and get down to the business of touching. It was starting to drive him crazy, to be this close and not have his hands on Jean's head.

There was a stunned silence.

“If I say yes, will you stop acting like a lunatic?”

Eren nodded wildly. Did that mean Jean was going to agree to it? Could he dare to hope?

“Promise?” Jean asked.

“I promise,” Eren said immediately.

“Okay, then. You can touch it.”

“Really?” Eren breathed, his eyes glittering with anticipation.

“Really,” Jean nodded. He added, grinning, “Man, you look like a kid in a candy store.”

Eren didn’t answer, too caught up in excitement. He lifted a trembling hand to Jean’s head, then gently dropped it into his hair. And, _oh_! The hair was as soft as Eren had imagined it would be. And so thick! It was like running his hand through a lush, silken blanket. He took a deep breath in.

Jean watched his face, looking utterly bemused.

“You’re so fucking weird, Jaeger.”

“Is it okay if I touch it – from – from the back?” Eren’s voice was rough with longing.

Jean smiled indulgently. “Knock yourself out.”

Eren moved until he was resting against the back of the couch, behind and to the side of Jean, but pressed up close to him. Jean, with uncharacteristic helpfulness, leaned forward.

Eren carefully slid his hand up the back of Jean’s shirt, up his neck, under the curtain of hair, threading his fingers through it. He moved his hand slowly, savoring the sensation of the strands between his fingers. It was the most sensual thing he had ever experienced. He bit his lip.

When he lifted his hand above Jean’s head, the hair fluttered down, exactly as he had imagined it would. He gave a little gasp of delight as the falling strands caught the lamplight. Eren repeated the motion, this time pressing more firmly against Jean’s scalp as he went up.

At this, Jean twitched ever so slightly into Eren’s hand.

Eren brought his hand back down and performed the same maneuver, paying close attention to Jean’s movements as he did so. Yes, Jean was most definitely responding in a way that suggested he, too, was enjoying it. Eren continued to play with the hair, and Jean slumped slowly backwards, his eyelids closing as he relaxed further into the touch.

Jean looked lovely like that, all calm and soft, his face slack, his lips slightly parted.

Eren brought his other hand to the back of Jean’s neck, massaging lightly, while the first continued to caress his hair.

Jean let out a faint sound, like a moan, or a hum. It made Eren’s heart jump.

He said, in a low voice,“Can I kiss you?”

Jean’s eyes flew open.

“ _What?”_

“Could I, um, kiss you?”

Jean stared at him in astonishment.

“Did you just ask if you could kiss me?”

“Yeah,” Eren nodded. “I really want to.”

Jean looked at him searchingly. As before, Eren was completely in earnest.

Jean blinked several times.

Eren re-traced the arc of Jean’s head with his hand.

Jean let out a tiny noise and his eyes darted to Eren’s. He swallowed and said, “Um. Yeah. I guess. If you want to.”

“I do. I very much want to,” said Eren, already moving in.

Jean’s lips were soft and tasted of coconut, and it was very easy to get lost in them. It was also easy to get lost in the continued feel of Jean’s hair in his hands and the sound of Jean’s breathy little gasps in his ears. Especially when Jean fell back into the couch in a way that allowed Eren to climb on top of him.

It was only when Eren pulled back to catch his breath that he remembered there was something… something else he wanted to ask… something about… oh, right.

Keeping one hand buried in Jean’s hair, he tilted his head to the side and whispered into Jean’s ear, “Will you go with me to Marco’s thing on Friday?”

“Oh, uh, yeah, I'm going,” answered Jean, sounding dazed.

“Will you go with me?”

“You mean - together?”

Eren nodded into Jean’s neck. He wondered if Jean could feel how hard his heart was pounding.

“Like a – like a date?” Jean asked.

“Yes, Jean. Like a date.”

Silence.

“Yeah,” Jean finally said. He brought his arms up around Eren’s back, pulling him in tighter. “I’d like that.” He nudged Eren’s face back around and leaned in to kiss his swollen lips. “I’d like that a lot.”


End file.
